Girl v. Guatemala (2025)
The Human Rights Committee held that Guatemala violated the ICCPR by forcing a 14-year-old rape survivor to continue a non-consensual pregnancy and assume motherhood, finding breaches of the right to life with dignity (Article 6), the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (Article 7), privacy and reproductive autonomy (Article 17), and access to information (Article 19), each read with the State’s duty to provide an effective remedy (Article 2(3)), child protection (Article 24(1)), and equality/non-discrimination (Articles 3, 26). Despite years of proceedings, authorities failed to effectively investigate or prosecute the perpetrator, denied practical access to lawful abortion, and compelled post-birth caregiving (including forced breastfeeding), causing severe suffering and suicide attempts; the Committee characterized this as intersectional discrimination based on gender, age and poverty and emphasized that State inaction revictimizes children. It ordered full individual reparation; compensation, support for the girl’s education and life plans, specialized psychological care for her and the child, public acknowledgment, and progress in the criminal case, and systemic reforms; effective access to therapeutic abortion for rape survivors, training for health and justice officials, comprehensive sexuality education and public awareness, a national registry of sexual violence/pregnancy/forced motherhood, and appropriate adoption policies.
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Year
- 2025
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